How Is Odysseus A Hero
The Odyssey an epic poem of a man's journey. Homer is the author of The Odyssey which is the story of Odysseus. Odysseus a Greek Hero who fought in the Trojan War for ten years and was gone from home for another ten years. One place Odysseus traveled to was Cyclops island where Odysseus met Polyphemus. Polyphemus was a cyclops that shows how Odysseus’ life changed and how Odysseus is a hero with a lesson to learn.
Odysseus made some clever choices with Polyphemus but other choices lead to nothing but destruction and pain. Throughout Odysseus' journey he is reminded of the mistakes he made with Polyphemus. Polyphemus came to a realization after the spike went into his eye, "Clawing his face he tugged the bloody spike out of his eye, threw it …show more content…
Odysseus telling Polyphemus about being hospitable, "...here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give-as custom is to honor strangers" (9. 256-258). This specifies that Odysseus and his men believe in the value of being hospitable and they are saying that Polyphemus should be hospitable to him and his men. This is relevant to hospitality, because it shows how in greek culture people believe that they should always be welcomed with foods and gifts. Homer shows us using the words gifts and honor strangers to show how the owners of a home are supposed to act when they are greeted by a strange person. People also are afraid that if they are not hospitable to guests they will also be punished by the gods. Odysseus proclaiming to Polyphemus that his is the one, "Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laerters' son, whose home's on Ithaca!" (9. 504-505). This presents that Odysseus is telling Polyphemus everything about him, his name, his father, and his home. Odysseus is showing hubris, because he is being vain about the situation with the cyclops. This ties together that being hubris in greek mythology usually resulted in punishment from the Gods. Homer in this scene with Odysseus shows how being hubris in Greek mythology can change the life of a mortal. Odysseus throughout the journey has to make up for how he acted in this scene. Being hospitable shows respect to the guests and to the Gods, being hubris is arrogance which makes the gods
Odysseus made some clever choices with Polyphemus but other choices lead to nothing but destruction and pain. Throughout Odysseus' journey he is reminded of the mistakes he made with Polyphemus. Polyphemus came to a realization after the spike went into his eye, "Clawing his face he tugged the bloody spike out of his eye, threw it …show more content…
Odysseus telling Polyphemus about being hospitable, "...here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give-as custom is to honor strangers" (9. 256-258). This specifies that Odysseus and his men believe in the value of being hospitable and they are saying that Polyphemus should be hospitable to him and his men. This is relevant to hospitality, because it shows how in greek culture people believe that they should always be welcomed with foods and gifts. Homer shows us using the words gifts and honor strangers to show how the owners of a home are supposed to act when they are greeted by a strange person. People also are afraid that if they are not hospitable to guests they will also be punished by the gods. Odysseus proclaiming to Polyphemus that his is the one, "Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laerters' son, whose home's on Ithaca!" (9. 504-505). This presents that Odysseus is telling Polyphemus everything about him, his name, his father, and his home. Odysseus is showing hubris, because he is being vain about the situation with the cyclops. This ties together that being hubris in greek mythology usually resulted in punishment from the Gods. Homer in this scene with Odysseus shows how being hubris in Greek mythology can change the life of a mortal. Odysseus throughout the journey has to make up for how he acted in this scene. Being hospitable shows respect to the guests and to the Gods, being hubris is arrogance which makes the gods